Storytime at the Summer Cabin
by Evilnor
Summary: Lulls in the action are hard to come by for Aang and his friends. Zuko discovers one way they unwind is by telling stories around a campfire, which amuses him right until they ask him to tell one!
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story. If I did, I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfiction site, after all . . . they are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Storytime at the Summer Cabin**

"And a voice called out across the frozen planes of ice: 'Wind-igloo . . .'" a young man's voice called out in an eerie fashion, punctuating the story with spooky noises.

"It's 'Wendigo,'" came a young woman's snort, "You really don't remember the story that well, do you, Sokka?"

"I was just getting to the good part!" Sokka said indignantly, "Maybe you'd rather finish it, since you remember it so much better, Katara?"

"Aww, but I thought you were doing a good job!" came another girl's voice, this one with an enamored feel to it.

"You would," harrumphed a quieter girl's voice, almost inaudibly.

"What was that?" the second girl's voice again, snapping like a whip of challenge.

"I didn't say anything," one could almost hear the shrug in the third girl's voice.

"So what does a Wendigo look like?" another young man's voice popped up, full of innocence, the speaker probably intending to diffuse a quickly escalating quarrel before it started in earnest.

"It looks something like an arctic owl-bear," Katara's voice replied, "but with long, low horns like a bison-goat and sharp teeth and claws. And it walks upright, like a man!"

As Zuko padded quietly through the adjacent hallway with a small crate in his arms, he could clearly hear the conversation going on in the courtyard of his family's old summer home. It had been hours since nightfall, and the Fire Nation prince was mildly surprised that everyone was still wide awake. He walked past the doorway just in time to see Katara mimicking the lumbering gait of either a bear on its hind legs or a bloated penguin to the delighted laughter of the bald tattooed boy to one side of her. Zuko paused and screwed up his face as if to say "I _know_ these people?" just outside the range of the firelight in the shadow of the doorway.

Sokka's indignant body language matched his voice, which Zuko in turn imagined would match the Water Tribe boy's tan face, since the erstwhile storyteller had his back to the onlooker. "Katara," he whined, "you just spoiled my story!" he threw his hands up in the air, displacing the reddish-brown-haired girl that was hanging on one of his arms, "Again!"

"Oh, I guess I forgot who the master story-bender was here," Katara mocked, bowing to her brother facetiously, long dark brown hair dangling past her shoulders, "Please, continue!" she said as she sat down, grinning.

Everyone was wearing a smile in the group except for Sokka, who crossed his arms as he spoke, "No. You've ruined it too much. The Wendigo is a very scary wind spirit haunting the arctic tundra who picks up unwary travelers and eats them, and you've just made it seem like a giant penguin-bear!"

There was snickering around the portable fire pit in the courtyard, and even Momo, the excitable lemur, chattered happily from his position around Aang's tattooed head. They'd decided to use the essential bit of camping equipment instead of the kitchen fireplace to reduce the smoke that might be seen by a careful observer. Habitation of a dilapidated old house was much easier to hide if there wasn't smoke coming from the chimney. It was something that Zuko had to point out to them a few times over the past day or so before they got the hint, especially since the house boasted quite the gourmet kitchen. It had been hard to talk Katara out of using it when she saw it . . . until she saw the large wolf-spiders that had taken up residence in some of the empty cupboards, that was. Zuko still had to stifle a snicker whenever he thought of the normally fearless master waterbender's startled reaction to the oversized kitchen natives.

"Oh Sokka," Suki, the warrior woman hanging off Sokka's arm soothed her flustered boyfriend, "but I wanted to hear the rest of the story! I like scary stories . . ." The tan boy appeared slightly mollified, but continued to glare at the rest of his audience.

It was an odd relationship the two of them had, in Zuko's opinion. There didn't seem to be much actual courting, just a bunch of kissing and petting when the two of them thought the rest of the group wouldn't notice. Which was quite often. And they were noticed almost as often, comically pretending like they were just practicing whistling together or something whenever the Fire Prince (or anyone else) walked by. For some reason, they seemed especially nervous when Zuko was the one to see them, as if they thought he was supposed to be a chaperone just because he was a year or so older, even though he never really gave a sign of disapproval. He supposed that the mutual saving of each others lives the couple had repeatedly done made up for the lack of textbook romance.

Regardless, Zuko tried not to think about it too much. If he so much as acknowledged their more than platonic interactions, it reminded him too much of his time with Mai. At least he'd courted her, given her gifts, ordered her exotic food, taken her for rides in his palanquin, even sat for a portrait with her in _addition_ to the un-chaperoned kissing and petting . . .

Not for the first time in the past few weeks, Zuko's heart clenched. He wondered guiltily what had happened to her in the same space that he continued to be awestruck by what she'd done for them. No, not for them. For _him._ _He_ was the only person she cared about in the whole world, and for all Zuko knew, she'd quite possibly laid down her life for him. In defying his sister, she'd certainly risked it, at least.

And now, her sacrifice was all the more reason for him to succeed. The rest of the group might not have noticed, but ever since Sokka and his return from the Boiling Rock, Zuko had been more driven and, if it was possible, even a little more serious in some respects. For Mai, if for no one and nothing else, this plan had to succeed. The Firelord, his father, must be defeated. And for that to happen, the Avatar needed to learn as much firebending from him as possible before the impending arrival of the comet.

And of course, true to form, Zuko's star pupil was staying up late sitting around a campfire listening to ghost stories.

Zuko sighed quietly. It used to be Mai who'd bring him out of introspective funks like this, but to get things done now, he'd have to do it himself. There would be plenty of time for self-pity _after_ everything was over. Turning his attention back to the campsite, the golden-eyed teenager noticed that Sokka had resumed his story after what probably wasn't much cajoling. So they wanted to be scared, huh? Zuko set aside his guilt for Mai right beside his guilt for his uncle in the back of his mind, shifted the crate under one arm, took a light stance, and waited.


	2. Illustration

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story. If I did, I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfiction site, after all . . . they are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Storytime at the Summer Cabin**

Even though the Fire Prince didn't know how the Wendigo story itself went, he could feel the tension in the audience building minutely. They were all leaning closer to their respective neighbors despite their earlier mockery of the storytelling and leaning imperceptibly closer over the campfire, a reaction enhanced when he started to use his bending to subtly dim said fire.

"Through the blizzard, the young man could hear the whistling of the wind again, 'Wendigo . . .'" Sokka continued, "The old man could hear it, too, and cautioned the young man not to go, but the young man was scared. He thought the voice would find them even at the fire side, so he left, running off into the storm. Over the tundra, he ran, the wind at his back, carrying the call faster and faster." The campfire flickered in its fire pit as if it was being blown by an increasingly strong wind. "Gradually, he felt like even he was running faster, as if the wind was racing with him. He felt lighter and lighter, faster and faster, and the voice was getting closer and closer. 'Wen-di-go . . . Wendigo . . . Wendigo,'" his voice had started as a whisper, saying the name of the spirit slowly, but picking up speed just like in the story until he abruptly stood and shouted, "WENDIGO!"

At this cue, the campfire suddenly flared up and beyond its normal boundaries, erupting into an eight-foot tall monster of fire with horns and claws standing upright like an owl-bear. It radiated such heat so suddenly that even Toph, who understandably couldn't see it, was visibly frightened. The fire-Wendigo reared, roared with the strength of a raging bonfire and descended viciously upon the screaming audience, including a terrified Sokka, before it dissipated harmlessly, failing to burn anything.

Katara was the first to open her eyes, Aang still clutching her middle with his eyes tightly shut and Toph on his other side, still shaken, with Momo burrowed between them. The waterbender looked around the campsite as she gently extracted herself from the Avatar's grasp, "Is everyone alright?" she finally asked.

Sokka and Suki were both clutching each other with matching frightened expressions, "W-what was that?" the self-styled fearless Water Tribe warrior quaked while everyone else finally regained the courage to open their own eyes.

"You mean that wasn't part of the story?" Toph accused.

"Do I look like a firebender to you?"

"You have to ask?" snapped back the sarcasm.

"Shouldn't you guys be in bed?" came Zuko's no-nonsense comment out of nowhere, cutting off whatever snarky comment Sokka could have countered with. It was so unexpected that the group screamed again, and they zipped around the campfire to huddle completely together, still high-strung from earlier.

Again, Katara was the first one to calm down and remove herself from the huddled mass as the shaggy-headed firebending prince padded into the firelight, crate under one arm. "So that was you, huh? I should've known."

The corner of Zuko's mouth quirked upwards. He certainly felt better now. It was all he could do to stifle a grin of triumph that shouted "_Ha! I got you!"_ to everyone around him, "I don't know what you're talking about," he lied obviously.

About this time, Aang remembered himself and straightened up enthusiastically, forcing a squeak from Momo as the lemur was displaced, "That was amazing! I haven't seen firebending like that since that fire festival we went to last winter!"

"No kidding," added Sokka appreciatively, "The timing was perfect, too."

"You have _got_ to teach me how to do that!" continued Aang, not noticing the interruption.

"Wow, I was so wrapped up in the story, I didn't even know you were there," Toph commented, "You're almost as good at sneaking around as Twinkletoes!"

Zuko coughed into his free hand in an attempt to hide his discomfort at this sudden, unexpected praise before he composed himself again, scowling slightly, "It was nothing. You," he reached into the crate at his side and threw something to the tattooed boy between the earthbender and waterbender, "should be in bed already. We've got an early start tomorrow."

"What?" Aang caught the mysteriously wrapped package before it hit him in the face, "Why?" He looked at the package in his hands and quickly tore the plain paper from around it to reveal four white candles.

"Morning meditation," Zuko answered succinctly, "You'll need those. And this time, you'll get up at dawn if I have to drag you out of bed myself," he snorted, remembering times when he'd been up for hours at the Western Air Temple before the little airbender had even stirred, "I still can't believe your first firebending master didn't teach you how to feel the sun."

"He did!" Aang protested feebly, head hanging down over his lackluster present, "It just wasn't the same way you're talking about--"

Zuko cut him off impatiently, "Whatever. We can argue semantics in the morning. Bed." He pointed sternly to the open doorway, "Now."

"But I'm not ti—"

"Now."

As the Avatar reluctantly began to move, Katara took pity on him and interjected on his behalf, "How about a compromise? One more story, then Aang can go to bed. We'll all go to bed! Sound fair?"

Aang brightened, "Yeah, one more story! _Pleeeeeeeeeease,_ Sifu Hotman?" the boy turned his big puppy-dog eyes on the hardened prince.

"No. It's late. And I thought I told you not to call me that?"

"Come on, I bet you know some good ones," chimed in Suki.

"Huh?" Zuko's scarred face snapped around to look at the Kyoshi warrior's smiling visage.

"Yeah!" Sokka said enthusiastically, "And you can use your firebending to make it more exciting, too!"

"Wait, when did this turn into _me_ telling--?"

"Well, we haven't heard any genuine Fire Nation stories before," provided Aang who'd settled back down beside Katara as if the argument was already won, "This is a great opportunity! Plus, you can show me how you make those shapes out of the fire! I've always wanted to know how to do that! Think of it as another lesson," the tattooed boy grinned.

"I don't know any good stories," Zuko shook his head in discouragement, "Get someone else to tell you your ghost stories. I'm sure Sokka's full of them."

"You serious? He's full of a lot of things, but quality stories aren't one of them. Most of his stuff involves replacing various body parts with swords," snorted Toph to Sokka's "Hey!" of protest, "It's pretty predictable. We could do with another type of story by now," with that, the blind earthbender leaned back on her arms and stared sightlessly at the reluctant prince.

"Aang has a good point with the lesson part, too," Katara offered.

There were mutters of agreement from all around the circle, especially Aang. For all his logic, Zuko could see he was getting nowhere fast with this crowd. After more pleading from everyone, he finally caved in, "Alright! Fine, I'll tell you a story!" he declared in exasperation, the campfire leaping a few inches in response.

"And use your bending for illustration!" Sokka suggested excitedly.

Zuko closed his eyes in agitation. Creating specific shapes through the use of firebending was a difficult meditation exercise that for some reason he seemed to have an aptitude for. It was one of the few things that Azula hadn't tried to upstage him on, too, since it served no immediate or destructive purpose. She'd always shared their father's opinion of it, considering such practices frivolous and purely ornamental, so the princess had refused to learn more than the basics, whereas Zuko had been just as happy to learn about that as any other branch of firebending, especially since he had a knack for it. He worked as hard on it as he had on any of his fighting forms, but it ended up being just one more thing for his father to disapprove of. In reality, ornamental firebending was a demonstration of creativity and control, and a tool to hone both: the more intricate and smooth the image, the more precise the firebender, and precision had shown itself to be very useful to the Fire Prince over the last six months. One couldn't always rely on raw power alone, which was something that many firebenders, even masters, refused to believe.

In the wake of his banishment, though, Zuko had all but abandoned his "frivolous" practices. It was almost like the creativity in his bending had been stamped out, such energy instead being refocused into anger and single-minded determination in his hunt for the Avatar, trying to think where such a man could have hidden for 100 years. His meditation times found him doing only the basic breathing exercises instead of taking the flames and molding them into the spectacular images he would have loved to show his mother.

It was only recently, after he'd joined the Avatar at the Western Air Temple that he'd even given thought to shaping the flames again, making his meditation exercises more and more complicated each time he was by himself. He didn't even know why it had occurred to him then, but it had made sense at the time . . . like the rainbow of colors in the mix of dragonfire . . . profound, yet completely natural.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Zuko relented, his frivolous secret laid bare, even though nobody realized it, "Aang had better pay attention to that part. But after this, bed for everyone, alright?" he made eye contact sternly with every member of the group around the campfire (not that it meant anything with Toph). They all mumbled grudging agreement before Zuko set down his small crate of candles and folded his legs underneath him into a lotus position for meditation. "I do know one story," he began, "It's about Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin."


	3. Genre

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story. If I did, I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfiction site, after all . . . they are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Storytime at the Summer Cabin**

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Zuko relented, his frivolous secret laid bare, even though nobody realized it, "Aang had better pay attention to that part. But after this, bed for everyone, alright?" he made eye contact sternly with every member of the group around the campfire (not that it meant anything with Toph). They all mumbled grudging agreement before Zuko set down his small crate of candles and folded his legs underneath him into a lotus position for meditation. "I do know one story," he began, "It's about Avatar Roku and Firelord Sozin."

* * *

"The one about how they were best friends until Sozin got the bright idea of conquering the world, then eventually left Roku to die so he could fulfill his plans?" summarized Sokka, casually gesturing with one hand.

"Uh, yeah," Zuko's eyes had widened in surprise at the succinct description of his great-grandfathers' lives. Sokka probably wouldn't be so flippant about it if the group had any idea that Zuko was not only descended from the mad Firelord who'd started the war, but his best friend, the Avatar of the time as well. Zuko had wisely decided to keep that little bombshell to himself. He'd thought about using it in his opening speech to get into the group's good graces back at the Western Air Temple, but figured they'd think he was lying anyway. _He _was still a little skeptical of it himself, even though it made so much sense, and his surreptitious checking of his mother's bloodline confirmed his uncle's tale. It was best not to make it an issue.

"Heard it," chimed Toph in a sing-song manner.

"How? I thought only people in the Fire Nation had any idea about that?"

Sokka, Toph, and Katara all pointed to a sheepish-looking Aang. "You see," the airbender boy explained, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Roku kind of called me to meet with him on the summer solstice and showed me his life story."

"Well, I haven't heard it," muttered Suki half-heartedly.

"Oh," Zuko paused, and the silence extended.

"Umm," Zuko looked decidedly uncomfortable under his friends' expectant stares, "That's all I can really think of. What sort of story did you want?"

"Action!"

"Adventure!"

"Romance . . ."

"Horror!"

Zuko threw up his hands in exasperation, feeling like he was being pulled in five different directions, "I told you already, I don't know any stories like that!"

"How about something that happened to you, then?" Katara suggested, "Like at the North Pole, you had cuts and bruises all over your face . . . you looked pretty awful."

"Yeah," agreed Sokka, "you did look pretty bad. Did one of your rhinos run you over or something?"

Zuko shrugged, "No. Nothing much to that, really." _Just some sloppy assassins,_ he added internally.

"Well, something must have happened," Aang prompted, "I've wondered a bit about that myself."

"Alright, well, you remember the ship I had, right?"

"The one you used to attack our village?"

"And mine?"

"You had a ship?"

"Uh, yeah," Zuko ran a hand through his shaggy black mop of hair nervously and glanced around. The two Water Tribe siblings had narrowed their eyes at him slightly. "Maybe we should talk about something else . . ."

"No, go ahead," Suki encouraged, brightly as ever, "We're just following you." It was always hard to tell Suki's real feelings on matters, especially when she smiled like that. Instead of his sister's unreadable nature, Suki sometimes conveyed the exact opposite of what he knew she must be thinking, unflavored by sarcasm. In the short time he'd actually known Suki, he had learned enough that it frightened him sometimes.

Zuko exhaled loudly, "Alright, well," he breathed in and out carefully, beginning to exert his will on the campfire in front of him which raised with each inhale and lowered with each exhale after a few centering breaths. When he felt he had it, he raised his hands and moved them carefully until the image of his old ship described in red and orange could be seen hovering at eye level over the top of the campfire as if it were sailing the ocean. Awe was written plainly on all the faces that could see it. Even the golden-eyed prince was mildly surprised at how incredibly recognizable the image was.

"It was blown up," Zuko continued. He moved his fingers and the floating image of his old ship was suddenly engulfed in a series of explosions, starting at the base of the command tower and continuing upward until the entire ship was ablaze, the fact it remained floating in the air the only distinguishing factor between it an the campfire below.

"Oh my goodness," Katara breathed, "you and your crew . . ."

"I was the only one on board, actually. Zhao had taken my crew earlier that night for his invasion of the North Pole," Zuko snorted, "Like he really needed them. What's 20 or so misfit men to an invasion fleet of hundreds of ships? It was all so he could make sure I was alone on my ship for when the pirates blew it up. Uncle had asked me to come with him for a walk, but I didn't listen. If I hadn't wandered up to the bridge, I wouldn't have been blown clear of the explosion, and we wouldn't be having story-time right now."

"Wow," Sokka was wrapping his brain around these implications, "So Zhao hated you enough to try to have you killed?"

"He already thought I was a traitor. I was competition for hunting down the Avatar, remember? I got in his way a lot, actually," he shook his head nostalgically, "Seems so long ago, now," Zuko neatly glossed over the part where Zhao had pieced together that the banished prince had freed the Avatar in the guise of the Blue Spirit. He didn't want to have to explain his desperate motivations for the event anyway, and Sokka would probably want him to show off some sword forms. He couldn't really afford the time for _two_ students right now.

"Do you mean the pirates you used to track us down that one time? How can you be sure?" queried Aang.

"Yes. I remembered the pirate captain's reptile bird," Zuko's hands shifted and the disconnected blaze hovering above the fire pit morphed into the shape of a reptile bird in flight. Concentrating a little more, like a train switching tracks in his head, the image of the bird flared a bright, steady green, and the members of the group who weren't blind gasped with awe. Even Momo's huge green eyes were fixed on it, though he couldn't be sure if the lemur truly recognized the image or not. Either way, the black and white creature looked like he was trying to decide if he really wanted to chase the flying intruder as Zuko made it circle around the heads of his audience while he continued, "I saw it take off from outside the bridge right before the explosion hit."

"Geez, you've had a tough life, haven't you, Sparky?" Toph smirked, "People hating you and trying to kill you left and right. Sound like anyone else we know?"

Everyone turned to look at Aang who was still watching the green lizard-parrot circle over their heads in open-mouthed amazement. He jumped when he finally noticed everyone staring. "What?" he blinked.

"Anyway, how about a story that doesn't involve stuff that only half of us already know about? I dunno about Suki, but I'm feeling kinda left out with all this talk about a Zhao, pirates, and some stupid ship."

Zuko snorted indignantly and made his winged green creation dive into the campfire from which it had originated, making the cheery blaze leap for a second with green. He'd spent nearly three years of his life on that "stupid ship." He had to stop himself from pointing out that people only started trying to kill him in earnest _after_ the Avatar woke up. "I thought I just told you guys a story."

"That was more like 20-questions," Toph pointed out.

"And it didn't even start with 'once upon a time,'" added Sokka somewhat childishly, "You can't have a real story without 'once upon a time.'"

There were murmurs of assent among the small audience, making Zuko sigh. They wouldn't let him go with just that. "Alright, fine. What do you want to know? This time, actual story format with no interruptions, ok?"

"How about why you changed your hair?" brainstormed Katara, "Not that it wasn't a good change," she amended hastily.

"Bo-ring," drawled Sokka, "How about something from your own travels through the Earth Kingdom?"

"Like how you got into Ba Sing Se?" added Aang helpfully.

"Or how about what happened to make you finally decide to join us?" chimed Toph.

"Or how you got your scar?"

The room went dead silent. Everyone stared at the one who'd made that comment, and it was Suki's turn to say, "What?"

Toph was the only one whose face wore confusion. "What scar?"

"No, don't worry about it," Zuko said after a short, but uncomfortable silence during which he was painfully aware of the tightness surrounding his left eye all the way to his ear, "It's sort of personal, and I'd prefer not to talk about it." One thing Zuko had been thankful for was the fact that the Avatar and his friends had never really drawn attention to his face much. They hadn't even spat insults concerning it at him while he was still their enemy. He supposed that they just accepted him that way because that was always the way they'd known him and didn't even think about what could have caused such a horrible mark . . . they certainly didn't seem to pity him for it, at least. Suki, though, being fairly new, had no such view of him and no inkling about its attachment to his previous banishment. He wasn't even sure how he wanted her or anyone else to feel about it, but he knew he didn't want their pity. Mai certainly didn't pity him. She'd known him without the scar, too, after all, and her opinion hadn't changed because of it.

"Who cares?" Sokka attempted to bluster brazenly through the uncomfortable atmosphere, "He's a firebender, and it's a burn mark. There's any number of ways a firebender could come across that. It was probably a training accident."

"It was no accident," Zuko snapped before he could stop himself, and the campfire leapt dangerously, the flames reflected in his golden eyes. For a second, he sounded like the banished prince who'd chased them across the world, and their faces bordered on the fearful looks that he remembered from first seeing them all, save Toph. He had to think fast before they became too interested in this topic. He was becoming more uncomfortable by the second. "I just remembered a story that has nothing to do with me. Do you want to hear it, or not?"

Eager for a way out of the dangerous atmosphere, the volatile firebender's friends quickly agreed.


	4. Exposition

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story. If I did, I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfiction site, after all . . . they are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Storytime at the Summer Cabin**

"Who cares?" Sokka attempted to bluster brazenly through the uncomfortable atmosphere, "He's a firebender, and it's a burn mark. There's any number of ways a firebender could come across that. It was probably a training accident."

"It was no accident," Zuko snapped before he could stop himself, and the campfire leapt dangerously, the flames reflected in his golden eyes. For a second, he sounded like the banished prince who'd chased them across the world, and their faces bordered on the fearful looks that he remembered from first seeing them all, save Toph. He had to think fast before they became too interested in this topic. He was becoming more uncomfortable by the second. "I just remembered a story that has nothing to do with me. Do you want to hear it, or not?"

Eager for a way out of the dangerous atmosphere, the volatile firebender's friends quickly agreed.

* * *

"Alright," Zuko started, reaching into the crate beside him and bringing out two candles, "Once upon a time," he shot Sokka a pointed glare, and the young Water Tribe warrior gave him a slightly nervous thumbs up, "before the islands of the Fire Nation were unified under the first true Firelord," he set the long tapers down, one to the left, the other to the right, between himself and the campfire and lit them separately with a one-fingered gesture, "there were two brothers. One good," one of the candle flames rose and took the form of a laughing man, arms heroically akimbo, about one foot high, "and one evil," the other small flame took on a similar form, but this figure had his arms crossed and appeared to turn his nose up at his counterpart. Other than their postures, the figures appeared nearly identical from their traditional topknots on down.

"They were the sons of a powerful nobleman who was obsessed with conquering as much territory as he could. The good son," Zuko hesitated a fraction of a second, "named Zu Ten, was many years older than his brother and a very talented firebender." As his name was called, the laughing figure stepped forward, away from the candle at a gesture from Zuko and took center stage above the campfire. "He distinguished himself on the battlefield and was an inspiring presence to all his soldiers. He was less likely to challenge an enemy to an Agni Kai as he was to offer them a drink and become their friend, after which they'd often pledge their service or at least form an alliance." The heroic Zu Ten mimed precise firebending moves and sat down to drink with another nondescript figure in time with Zuko's narration. "The good brother was a hero with countless friends, wise beyond his years, and poised to inherit everything.

"The evil brother, Zanroh," the name came easily this time, rolling off the reluctant storyteller's tongue, and the menacing figure strode forward, his brother disappearing to take his former place above his candle, "was no less talented with his bending, but he was also conniving and ruthless. Battlefields were not where his interests lay, however. He held more of a taste for the dealings that went on behind closed doors. Assassins, poisons, and double-dealing were the weapons he preferred, and he gained almost as much territory for his father in the dark as his brother did in the light." As Zuko named off his interests, Zanroh was alternately seen using firebending forms, fighting with daggers, or exchanging a bag of something with another nondescript figure. All the while, the figure appeared to be looking over his shoulder suspiciously.

"The younger brother was never satisfied, though. The only thing stopping him from challenging his brother to an Agni Kai and taking his birthright was the older brother's advantage of experience." At these words, the evil figure found himself hovering back over his candle. "He was ever on the lookout for another way to increase his favor over his brother, though, and he found a possibility when listening to ancient rumors. Legend had it that there existed a mystical gemstone called the Quintessence." The image of a large faceted gem appeared over the campfire and took on a purple hue. "Some said that it could strengthen its owner's bending a hundred fold or give him bending powers over other elements much like the Avatar, but no-one had seen it for two hundred years."

Suki blinked, "What's an Agni Kai? You've mentioned it twice now."

The fiery images flickered momentarily at the interruption and the gemstone lost its unique color, but the firebending prince managed to keep them all in place. "An Agni Kai is a formal duel between two firebenders," Zuko explained carefully, trying not to become too distracted, "It's often used to settle disputes and matters of honor."

"Like what?"

"Like," the scarred prince paused. They were used for so many things! Steering away from the example closest to his heart, he thought of one of the more common reasons for such fights, "if a father denies a man the right to court his daughter, the suitor can challenge him to Agni Kai for the rights to court the woman, no matter what his social standing. Some otherwise unremarkable peasants have earned the rights to court noblewomen this way. Back in the time of this story, though, it was mostly used for military disputes, one commander challenging another so their armies didn't have to fight each other."

"That's _so_ romantic!" bubbled Sokka.

Suki gave him an amused smile, but continued on with her own statement, "That's pretty practical, really, having only two people fight instead of whole armies."

"Yeah, but the challenged person also has the right to decline. There's lots of rules to follow with an Agni Kai, really--"

"Back to the story!" demanded Toph irritably.

Zuko blinked, realizing that he could probably give a whole lecture on the rules of Agni Kai. He _did_ want to get these guys to bed _some_time tonight. "Right, where was I?"

"Zanroh heard about the gemstone," Katara supplied.

"The Qintessence," Aang grinned. Apparently he really liked this sort of fairy tale.

"Yeah," Zuko continued, "the Quintessence." The faceted image stabilized and regained its color as he turned his attention back to it. "It was said that the Avatar itself had hidden away the gemstone for fear that it would disturb the balance of the elements. Some even said that the Avatar had made the gemstone in the first place or that it came into being the same time the first Avatar had, an immortal object as an alternative for the eternally reborn mortal. Either way, it was fairly certain that no one had destroyed it, if it had ever really existed at all.

"While Zu Ten continued on his campaign trail, scoring victory after victory, Zanroh left his home and his back-alley dealings to search for the Quintessence." The evil brother's image returned to its spot over the campfire and mimed actions as Zuko narrated. "Over mountain and valley, caves and swampland, plain and sea, Zanroh traveled. His search was tireless, and for eight years he traveled before he finally returned home."

"Did he find it?" Aang was on the edge of his seat, looking every bit of the 12 years old he really was.

Zuko gave him a dirty look as the carefully-constructed images flickered again, "No, he didn't." Aang's face fell. "Anyway, even though Zanroh returned home without the gem he sought, he didn't do so empty-handed. In his travels, he found a beautiful noblewoman, the most beautiful in the entire Nation." Zuko's voice became slightly wistful as the silhouette of a lovely woman took shape at the evil brother's side, "She was also a powerful firebender in her own right, so powerful that some said she was descended from a previous Avatar, herself. She was even a local hero, known for calming rampant dragons and taming wildfires. It was uncertain if Zanroh singled her out for her beauty, standing, power, or breeding, but the lady had certainly fallen for him and agreed to become his wife.

"In light of his fruitless search, but beautiful bride, Zanroh returned home to the praise of his people, and his wife was so charming that she made even the brothers' callous father smile warmly.

"Zanroh and his wife had two children, a boy and a girl, respectively," the image above the fire changed to reflect the expanded family, "but Zanroh never changed his dirty dealings.

"In fact, even siring two children was an attempt to one-up his good brother, for Zu Ten's beloved wife had died in childbirth many years before, leaving him with an only son." The image shifted to show Zu Ten's heroic figure with an active boy who quickly grew into a man with the next sentence, "Zu Ten loved his son fiercely, refusing to be parted from him for long, even though he had no bending. He went so far as to bring his son along with him on his campaigns when he was of fighting age. Zu Ten's son was barely into his twenties when he died on the battlefield, during the long siege of the city that would become the Fire Capitol. He was completely devastated, and the siege was broken." The image of the heroic pair quickly changed to the good son cradling his own child in his arms, a spear savagely jutting out of his chest.

"When word reached back to Zanroh of his nephew's death, new plans formed in his head. He showcased his young children to their aged grandfather," the fire morphed into five figures in profile, Zanroh and his wife, an old man facing them, and two children, performing firebending routines between the seated adults, "and after his family left the room, Zanroh stayed behind. He claimed to his father that since now Zu Ten had no heir, he should be stricken from the succession, and Zanroh should inherit by virtue of his two talented and healthy children.

"Zanroh's father was enraged at the mere suggestion," the fire reflected the heated argument between the two men, flaring white-hot as the father argued with his son, "He declared that Zanroh was belittling his brother's sacrifice, and that to truly understand his pain, he should also lose his first-born son."

Zuko carefully kept his gaze on the patterns in the fire to avoid looking at the shocked faces around him. His friends could barely fathom a decree like that, but the prince knew how brutal nobility could be and how twisted perceived justice was.

"That's horrible!" Katara balked, gasping in outrage as soon as Zuko stated the nobleman's verdict, "How could he say something like that?"

"It gets worse," Zuko said tonelessly, "Zanroh was not only to lose his son, but to kill him by his own hand."

More gasps and even the previously stoic Toph looked stunned.

"Zanroh's daughter had inherited his cloak-and-dagger disposition, so she had hidden in the room and heard every word." The imaged shifted to the little girl peering out from behind a curtain before skipping off, "She consequently skipped directly to her brother to torment him. The boy already knew that his father favored his second-born, just as Zanroh felt he should be by his own father, so he was justifiably scared."

"_Dad's going to kill you!"_ sing-songed Azula's 8-year old voice in Zuko's head, _"No really, he is."_

"His frightened voice telling his sister to be quiet brought their mother's attention to them both, and she dragged her daughter away to hear the whole story." The older figure of the beautiful woman dragged her child away, then approached Zanroh's figure, "She then went to her husband to plead for her son's life, for just as Zanroh favored his daughter, his wife favored their son. The two eventually formed a plan and struck a deal. Zanroh would inherit as he wanted and his son would survive, but for that, the grandfather had to die."

There were no gasps that time as his friends just stared, open-mouthed like dead fish.

"That very night, Zanroh's wife went to his father's chambers and mysteriously left the country, never to be seen again. It was easy enough to say that the old man had died of old age, even though those closest to him knew he had many good years left, and it was even easier to say that on his deathbed, he named his second son as his heir. All this and the succession was staged before Zu Ten even returned from the battlefield. He never even had a chance to dispute it, even if he'd had the heart."

The flames formed the image of Zanroh standing proud while Zu Ten hung his head in defeat before finally dying down to the normal campfire once again.


	5. Conclusion

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the brainchild of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and is owned by Viacom. I own none of the characters in this story. If I did, I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfiction site, after all . . . they are all lovingly used without permission. This story is written solely for my personal amusement (and posted for the amusement of others) and to keep the crazy idea from boring a hole in my head, so I can get on with my life. I make no profit from this other than peace of mind!

**Storytime at the Summer Cabin**

"That very night, Zanroh's wife went to his father's chambers and mysteriously left the country, never to be seen again. It was easy enough to say that the old man had died of old age, even though those closest to him knew he had many good years left, and it was even easier to say that on his deathbed, he named his second son as his heir. All this and the succession was staged before Zu Ten even returned from the battlefield. He never even had a chance to dispute it, even if he'd had the heart."

The flames formed the image of Zanroh standing proud while Zu Ten hung his head in defeat before finally dying down to the normal campfire once again.

* * *

"What happened after that?" Suki asked quietly after a significant pause.

Zuko sighed, rubbing the good side of his face with the heel of his hand, "Zanroh took the walled city Zu Ten had besieged and became the first Firelord."

Predictably, it was Sokka who found his voice first, "So that's it? You're telling me the _badguy_ won? What kind of a story is that?" he sputtered.

"The realistic kind. Good doesn't always win. That's how the world works."

"I guess you were right in the first place," Katara's tone was somewhere between admonishing and depressed, "you really don't know any good stories."

Zuko gazed at the fire grimly, shrugging slightly, as though she hadn't really told him anything new.

"Well, guess that means you're off the hook for next time," the waterbender continued, "Come on, everyone, a deal's a deal. It's past time we were all in bed. That goes double for you, Aang," the girl proceeded to herd the young Avatar out of the room. As she left, she made a quick, fluid motion, and the water sitting in a bucket to one side of the fire leapt up and doused the flames.

Aang clutched his pet lemur like a teddy bear, brow slightly furrowed with conflicting thoughts as he left, but Zuko had no doubt the kid would be asleep soon enough. He was as mercurial as the air itself, never seeming to settle on one thought or emotion for too long, but always seeking to enjoy himself. Even so, the teenage prince couldn't help but realize that he'd given Aang plenty to think about with his last comment.

Sokka and Suki were the next to leave, murmuring their goodnights. Sokka still looked disgruntled, clearly displeased with the ending, and Suki looked slightly troubled as well, perhaps even a little concerned for the storyteller whose gaze had yet to leave the smoking coals.

Zuko didn't even notice when Toph left, too entwined in his own bitter thoughts. Sometimes the bad people _did_ win. Sometimes they were stronger, more cunning, or just in the right place at the right time. Zhao, Azula, Long Feng, his father, and especially his great-grandfather Sozin were all examples he was very familiar with. Any true opposition to their victories was quickly squashed like overripe leechi nuts. Their only hope was that this one time, against all odds, good might triumph, and the Avatar would overcome the power-hungry Firelord.

The shaggy-headed prince was barely aware of removing himself from the remains of the campfire, taking his box of candles with him. He suddenly found himself in his old room, absently congratulating his feet on finding their way in his darkened childhood summer home without guidance from his head. Unfortunately, his shins weren't so lucky as they collided with a random piece of furniture he didn't even remember was there.

Stifling a halfhearted curse, Zuko lit a fire in his hand only to nearly jump out of his skin when it revealed he wasn't as alone as he thought he was.

"Geez, hot stuff, I thought you'd scream like a little girl, but I guess I was wrong. You're one up on Sokka already!"

Zuko immediately calmed down and heaved an exasperated sigh as he lit one of the exposed lamps. Since glaring at her would do no good, he decided to get to the point, "What do you want, Toph?"

Toph was never one for beating around the bush, "The rest of the story."

Zuko shook his head, belatedly remembering she couldn't see that, "I told you the end of it."

"Maybe for Zanroh, but not his kids."

The Fire Prince made a strangled noise of surprise, and his gaze snapped to Toph's blank eyes. Maybe he had been a little too obvious . . . but he'd changed the names!

"Oh come on, don't take me for the rest of the rubes we hang around with. I'm a Bei Fong. Noble Earth Kingdom family and stuff," she waved absently, "History of my own kingdom and other countries was shoved down my throat since before I could remember. That definitely wasn't the story of the first Firelord. And your storytelling was way too good to have made it all up on the spot. You know more. What happened to the kids?"

Knowing he would have better luck shaking a terrier-hawk off a fresh spider-rat then getting Toph to let some juicy secret go, Zuko sighed again and sat heavily on his old bed. He raised his legs and crossed them under himself before taking a deep, steadying breath and continuing.

"A few years later, during a war meeting his uncle let him attend, Zanroh's son spoke out against a general's reckless plan. For his sharp tongue, he was challenged to Agni Kai. He accepted, thinking it would be the old general he'd face, but instead he faced his own father for speaking out in his war room. The boy refused to fight, begged for forgiveness, and was summarily marked and banished. He wouldn't be allowed to return until he succeeded where Zanroh had failed and bring home the Quintessence. Probably the only thing that kept him alive much past that point was the fact his uncle decided to come with him.

"The daughter, on the other hand, lacked for nothing. Three years later, after her brother had done something embarrassing to their father from exile, she was loosed like a lizard-hound to track down her brother and either imprison or kill him. She had way too much fun doing so. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks from there," Zuko concluded tonelessly, thankful she couldn't read his body language since he no longer had contact with the floor.

There was silence for a bit until Toph spoke again, "Did he find the Quintessence?"

Zuko looked down at his hands, "Yeah, he did."

"Then that's not where the story really ends, is it?"

Even though she couldn't see Zuko's cocked eyebrow, she took his slightly confused silence for what it was, "He succeeded where his father failed. What's to say he can't beat him another way, too?"

"So, what do you think he did with the Quintessence?"

Toph grinned and shrugged, "You're the storyteller, man. Sounds like you've got some research to do before you give this story its real ending, huh?" with that, the little blind earthbender unerringly patted the bewildered firebender on his knee and left, bidding him good night as she left the room.

Zuko stared after her well after she'd departed. Her advice sounded remarkably like something his uncle might have said, except maybe not quite as cryptic and involving fewer flower and tea references. Maybe she _did_ have a point? Maybe the story only ends when the one telling it knows it's over? Maybe if the story goes on long enough, the badguy doesn't have to win in the end?

The thought was comforting after all he'd been through. Zuko flopped back onto his bed, absently stealing the fire from his bedside lamp as he stared sightlessly at the ceiling, still exquisitely tiled after all this time. His country was much like this house in a way: battered, slightly neglected, and misused, but under it all, still well-crafted and beautiful with bright paint and memories good and bad. So what if it belonged to a megalomaniac who refused the least bit of kindness to anyone besides himself? It just took the right person to come in and clean it up, making everything right again.

The corner of Zuko's mouth eventually cracked upwards in a wry half-smile. Was he putting Aang in that role of the 'right person' or himself? He supposed he'd have to take up the mantle of Firelord once his father . . . was dealt with, but that wasn't quite it. Maybe it was all of them together, since it certainly hadn't been him alone who'd made this place halfway livable again. Katara and Suki had helped clean out the kitchen, Sokka and Aang had helped fixed the roof, and Toph had single-handedly cleared the courtyard of debris and unwanted plantlife.

Maybe, just maybe, the goodguys could be in the right place at the right time for once?

Zuko eventually dozed off, filled with what approached a hopeful essence for the first time that night since he'd started that story to entertain a few kids.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the reviews so far! This is another short story . . . I can never really seem to finish my epic tales :( Hope you enjoy it as much as I do, though! I really liked doing the character interactions for this. Please review if you haven't already!


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